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It’s every homeowner’s nightmare. You pull in the driveway and find your front door has been forced open or a window broken. You can hardly process what’s happened, worrying about what’s been stolen and the damage to your home. What will you do? Remain calm, take a deep breath, and follow our recommendations after a break-in at your Baltimore home.  

When things get back to normal, see how to better prevent break-ins with the latest home security system.

First Steps After A Break-In

Discovering your house has been broken into is traumatic. You might be upset, scared, or simply in shock. Regardless, it’s important to stay level-headed by doing the following: 

• Stay outside. It’s not surprising that you want to run inside to see what happened. Don’t. There’s a chance an intruder is still present.
• Call the police immediately.  Keep yourself and others safely away and wait until help arrives. Work with the police to make an official report. 
• Avoid touching anything. Allow officers take control and gather evidence.  

What Are The Next Steps?

You’ve made an official report with law enforcement, and it’s safe to go back inside. What are the next steps? 

• Contact your bank and credit card issuers . If a burglar grabbed wallets, purses, or personal records, you’ll wish to alert your credit card issuers and banks at once. It’s a good idea to put a hold on accounts and your credit. You may also request a fraud alert with the major credit bureaus.
• Reach out to your insurer. Initiate a claim with your insurance provider. This should be done within 24 hours of the incident. 
• Take photos of the damage. Document broken windows, forced doors, and all other visible damage.
• Document what is missing. Write down what’s missing and provide it to the authorities and your insurance company.
• Secure your property. Get your home secured by replacing locks, fixing doors and windows, and addressing remaining damage. If you utilize a keypad lock system, now is the time to update your access codes.

Tidying up will do wonders for your stress and make things feel normal. Once you do, it’s time to start thinking improving your home security.

Evaluate And Upgrade The Security At Your Baltimore Home

How can you keep this from happening again? Your first step should be to assess your home’s security. A new system with these tools will work wonders in keeping your home safe: 

• Security cameras: Nearly every prowler will reconsider their plans when they see surveillance cameras. Today’s exterior and doorbell cameras provide advanced functionality like AI-powered smart detection. Whenever there’s questionable activity, you’ll receive a notification. 
• Access-point sensors: All doors and windows (specifically those on the ground level) should be shielded by glass-break or contact sensors.
• Smart locks and lights: These automated tools can be managed remotely. Worried you neglected to secure your door? You can verify and activate the lock right from your phone. You can even have interior lighting go on if a camera discovers suspicious activity.

If you are looking for a connected system that alerts you and monitoring representatives whenever a camera or sensor is set off, consider a package from ADT, your home security professionals. You’ll appreciate the remote access, round-the-clock monitoring, and advanced automation.

Avoid Break-Ins With The Best Home Security In Baltimore

Stop burglaries at your property with an ADT home security system in Baltimore from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As your authorized ADT dealer, we install modern equipment from the top name in the business. Learn more about your options by dialing (410) 934-3289 or submitting our form today.